Jorgensen Packing the Old “Young Guns”

Do not be mistaken, this is Scott Jorgensen’s second UFC fight. On December 16, 2010, he fought Dominick Cruz in the co-main event of WEC 53 to decide who was the last WEC bantamweight champion and who would be the first ever UFC bantamweight champion. It was a five round decision that was fought inside the blue cage of the WEC, but it was for UFC gold.

Technically, “Young Guns” is making his UFC debut on June 4th at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale, but Jorgensen has already been to the top of this division’s mountain and he is looking to make Ken Stone his first step back there.

“Everybody keeps asking about my Octagon debut, but I've already fought for a UFC championship and it doesn't get much bigger than that,” said the 28 year old, explaining the unique circumstances surrounding his UFC debut. “Whether people say it was in the WEC or not - I fought for the UFC belt. It is something that everyone fighting longs for and I'm getting back on track to get that belt. I've already fought for the belt, so the pressure is not on me.”

Most debuting fighters worry about having the infamous UFC “jitters”. For Jorgensen, it is simply a new name on the cage, but not a new company. “I fought 10 times under Zuffa and that is more than most guys have ever fought for them,” he says of a 7-3 Zuffa stint that included a five fight win streak that led to his title shot. “This is not my first rodeo, I've been to the big show, and I've fought for the most important thing I could ever fight for. I grew up in the WEC, I grew up fighting for Zuffa, I grew up fighting the best guys in the world - it is no different on June 4th. I'm fighting one of the top guys in the world and I'm back to being the good old Scott Jorgensen that everyone loved.”

The “old Scott Jorgensen” is a two-time WEC “Fight of the Night” winner in his decision victories over Brad Pickett and Takeya Mizugaki. WEC fans know him as a violent flash of vibrant tattoos and a colorful mohawk who has consistently put on some of the most entertaining fights. The bantamweights have been heralded as arguably the most exciting weight class out there. This is due in large part to Jorgensen and his quintessential wars, like the two he had with Antonio Banuelos.

“The old mentality of mine was to go in there and go 110 mph and make something happen. If I can't strike with him, then take him down; if I can't take him down, then I'm going to strike with him. I'll find a way to win. The biggest thing that helps me put on these exciting fights is that I don't go into the cage just to win. I want to get the guy tired. I want to drag this guy through hell. I want to make him wish he had took an easier opponent.”

Jorgensen fostered this mentality in the wrestling room at Boise State University, where he was a three-time Pac-10 champion. Also, this is the same mentality that he fully admits was abandoned in the title fight against Cruz. No one is or could be more critical of that performance than Jorgensen himself. Also, no one is more committed and focused in proving to the fans and himself that it was a fluke failure than Jorgensen.

“I still am kind of baffled by the way I chose to fight. I let my emotions get the better of me in that fight. During that fight, I was banking on landing a big hard right hand and knocking Dominick out in grand fashion and walking out with a UFC belt, instead of setting it into my mind that as soon as I step into that cage it is going to take a lot of work. I never applied it in the cage, my performance showed it, and it was the most embarrassing thing I've ever been through. To go out there and fight the way I did and knowing what I'm actually capable of and what kind of fighter I actually am, I've learned from it. And I'm coming back stronger.”

The loss to Cruz is in the past and Jorgensen’s future is a matchup with American Top Team’s Stone on June 4th. He is preparing for the fight at his own gym in Boise, “Combat Fitness,” and this training camp has been a re-dedication of sorts, as he is getting back in touch with his roots as a wrestler. To do so, Jorgensen has brought in a fellow Boise State Bronco, Andrew Hochstrasser, and he believes the All-American has played a huge role in him returning to his grinding style.

“I'm a wrestler at heart. For me, it's a mentality that I have to earn everything in the cage just like I would in a wrestling match, just like I would in a practice room. If I want something I've got to earn it. Nothing is given, nothing is expected and there is no such thing as luck. I went through some of the most grueling training and fights in a college wrestling room. It's about getting the mentality back to putting my body through that inside and outside of the cage and not worrying about a pretty fight, but just get the job done no matter how I can get the victory.”

At The Ultimate Fighter Finale, Ken Stone better be ready to be transported back in time to his college wrestling room days at Bridgewater State University. “Young Guns” would like nothing better than to turn this into a “who breaks first” type of fight. “In a college wrestling match, pins don't come very often. We call them grind matches. I try to turn every fight into a grind match.”

After waiting on the sidelines for six months, waiting to put his worst performance behind him, waiting to make his official UFC debut and waiting to get back into the title picture – Scott Jorgensen is itching to fight. “I'm ready to fight and ready to knock this ring rust off of me. I'm back to being me, so get ready for war.”